As is known in the art, jug-in-box or bag-in-box containers have a rigid outer protective shell, usually in the form of a box formed of corrugated board, paperboard or other inexpensive material. Contained within the protective shell is a flexible jug, liner or bag which usually has a dispensing means, such as a spout, integrally attached and in communication with the interior of the jug, liner or bag. The jug, liner or bag is protected by the protective shell and can contain any pourable fluid material that is compatible with the material used to form the liner. Typically the pouring means is located within the protective box during shipping and can be exposed by opening the box, often by means of a punch out in one wall of the box that can be removed.
For small packages, the bag-in-box concept works quite well. However, for large size containers, the weight and bulk of the package make pouring and handling difficult. There have been numerous proposals for providing handles and hand-holds to these larger bag-in-box containers. However, these prior designs have numerous disadvantages, including manufacturing difficulty, cost and difficulty of consumer use.
Current bulk liquid packaging containers (jug-in-box or bag-in-box) have very poor ergonomics designs. Jug-in-box containers commonly have only one handle on the top of the box for the purpose of carrying the container. However, this configuration permits only one hand to grasp the handle for carrying and provides no functionality with respect to pouring the liquid contained therein.
Current bag-in-box designs may have two handles where both handles are located near the top of the respective front and back panels of a container. This configuration allows for easier carrying as it provides a mechanism for grasping the container with both hands. However, the two-handle system provides no advantage in pouring as the repositioning of a user's hands may be required in order to fully empty the container.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a bag-in-box and jug-in-box container having a plurality of ergonomically positioned handles which allow for a user to change grips as a liquid is progressively emptied from the container.